The Cry of the Dead
by skarred
Summary: The holocaust... history's mistake is repeated once again in the once-peaceful country of Japan. A girl and her mother are taken away to a concentration camp. A boy sets out to on a mission to rescue them... A taiora. ^_^
1. chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, nor do I own any of its characters. All I own is the story plot   
(boy am I poor), so hope you enjoy my fic! Flames are fine with me… just remember that this is   
my first fic so don't expect much…  
All the war poems used in this whole series are stolen from my war poetry booklet that we studied   
in school a long, long time ago, so don't sue.  
Skarred.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Cry of the Dead  
  
  
By  
5kaRreD  
  
  
  
  
When you see Millions of the Mouthless Dead  
- Charles Sorley  
  
  
When you see millions of the mouthless dead  
Across your dreams in pale battalions go,  
Say not soft things as other men have said,  
That you'll remember. For you need not so.  
Give them not praise for, death, how should they know  
It is not curses heaped on each gashed head?  
Nor tears. They're blind eyes see not your tears flow.  
Nor honour. It is easy to be dead.  
Say only this, "they are dead." Then add thereto,  
"Yet many a battle one has died before."  
Then, scanning all the o'ercrowded mass, should you  
Perceive one face that you love heretofore,  
It is a spook. None wears the face you knew.   
Great death has made all his for evermore.  
  
  
  
  
The crowd hummed and buzzed impatiently as they waited. The Government Square had   
never looked so large before; it was filled to the brim with heads- black ones, white ones, bald   
ones, hairy ones… Every nook and cranny of the open arena was covered up with a vast sea   
of colour… it was as though the gods, in their carelessness, had tipped over enormous   
buckets of multi-coloured paint onto this portion of the earth alone. The red, blue, yellow   
green and black hues clashed, as waves do upon the rocky cliffs towering over the sea. On   
the rooftops of the government buildings that formed the square stood millions of little red   
Japanese flags. The little red and white flags stood tall and proud atop their guard posts… in   
memory of all the riots that had taken place in this same square through the course of   
Japan's history… the Syonan riots, in which over three hundred youths had lost their lives in   
the period of barely two days in a struggle against Japan's decision to become allies with   
Russia… the Rowaka battle, in which communists had tried to overthrow the government by   
burning down their buildings, and many, many more.   
  
  
  
The steady hum gradually turned into a roar of excitement as the crowd neatly parted into   
half to reveal a sleek, shiny government car emerging from behind the State Bank. A huge   
stand had been erected before the Kusara Court House, and this seemed to be the   
destination of the vehicle. It crept up silently to the stand as a stealthy jungle cat towards its   
prey, never veering off course. Just as it was about to pounce, the jungle cat came to an   
abrupt halt. All eyes were on the car door as it slowly opened, as though trying to increase   
the already unbearable suspense in the air… a single white pant leg emerged from the dark   
interior of the car, clashing greatly with the dark colour of the car…   
  
  
  
The crowd let out a sigh of exasperation as the butler stepped out of the car and made   
his way around the Jaguar to the door on the opposite side. Like a dangerous chemical   
spilling out of a discarded test tube, such did the tall, slim figure flow out of the car. People   
sucked in the breaths that they had let out just a moment earlier… all eyes were glued onto   
General Sohiko as he ascended the wooden stairs to the platform. He peered down his long,   
hook-like nose at the crowd and pushed his spectacles up with a single bony digit. With   
quick, jerky movement, he raised a stiff hand towards his forehead and saluted the crowd.   
This action acted as though a signal- the crowd instantly exploded into a chorus of cheers all   
at once… their shouts created a force about enough to blow a grown man of his feet… yet   
the general seemed unruffled by this great show of appreciation. He silenced them with one   
single word… "Japan…" Suddenly, the scene was split by flashes of black and white… and   
the TV screen went blank.   
  
  
  
Sora got up lazily and sauntered over to the rebelling apparatus, gently flicking off the   
power switch. She was used to the television malfunctioning… it was a daily problem in the   
household. It was a second hand television after all… as was most of the furniture and   
appliances decorating her humble home. Her family wasn't very well-off… well, if you could   
call it a family… it only consisted of Sora and her mother. They tried to keep afloat with a   
mere budget of $150 every month… or sometimes even less, depending on what they earned   
from the flower shop the two women owned. But Sora was satisfied. Their mother and   
daughter relationship was soul-deep; a bond never to be broken, and that was all they   
needed in life.   
  
  
  
It was late. Twelve-thirty, to be exact. Sora stretched and headed towards her bedroom-   
actually, the only other room in the house other than the kitchen- and plonked herself on the   
tiny mattress sprawled on her floor... the mass of blankets which she called her bed. Her   
mother was already asleep... exhausted from tending to flowers the whole day, she had gone   
to bed the minute she had returned from the flower shop... Sora could hear a gentle snoring   
coming from the bed beside her. Sora lay awake, listening to her mother's sweet breathing   
noises... they gave her comfort, making her feel warm inside, knowing that all was well in the   
tiny apartment...  
  
  
  
  
***********************  
  
  
  
  
  
Sora awoke to the soft twittering of birds outside her window. They sang of the morning   
dew, which rested on the tips of the flower petals and grass blades in the park… of the   
unsteady sun as it slowly crept up into the young sky and painted it with its red and yellow   
hues. It was just as Tai had once told her… he had said that she was his morning sky… her   
beautiful scarlet eyes, his sun… her flaming red hair, its rays… and her smile… her smile   
was the light… the light that painted his soul with love just as the sun's light did the sky with   
hope and awakening. She had blushed radiantly at this remark… Tai had never sounded so   
emotional… those words had been spoken from the bottom of his heart… She was broken   
out of her train of thought by a sudden ear-piercing clash of metal to the floor.   
  
  
Oh no… mom's cooking…  
  
  
Sora snapped back to reality and leapt out of bed, struggling into her moss-green school   
uniform. She burst into the kitchen, fully dressed, hair neatly combed, shoelaces… untied.   
Sora tripped on her runaway shoelaces and was sent sprawling across the floor, landing in a   
messy bundle at her mother's feet. Debra Takenouchi looked down bemusedly at her clumsy   
daughter and chuckled lightly.  
  
  
'Since when were you into baseball? Practicing sliding to base?' Debra joked.  
  
  
'Haha… so what do you think you're doing anyway mom? Trying to set fire to the house?   
Here… let me do that.'   
  
Sora snatched the frying pan from her mother's loose grip and commenced scraping off the   
remains of a burnt egg from the bottom of the pan.   
  
  
  
***********************  
  
  
  
A jammed locker. Perhaps the most infuriating thing on the face of the planet… not including   
Maths teachers, that is. Sora struggled in a futile combat against her obstinate locker… it was   
stuck for the fourth time this week. Exasperated, Sora had to result in a method she knew   
was rash… you could be sent to detention if caught damaging school property… not a very   
happy prospect. Sora glanced up and down the white corridors, checking for the presence of   
any teacher lurking behind a corner, like a meek little mouse inspecting its surroundings to be   
totally cat-free before setting out on its perilous journey across the kitchen floor. Coast clear.   
She summoned up all the strength in her 17 year-old body and concentrated it on her right   
fist… she pulled back her arm, ready to fire… Suddenly, a firm, yet gentle hand was placed   
on her shoulder and spun her around. Sora's eyes shot open as she found herself unable to   
control the momentum and force… she landed the punch in the figure before her, sending   
him stumbling back, gasping for breath.  
  
  
'OUCH! Sora Takenouchi, if you had something against me then you could have told me, not   
tried to kill me!' Tai grumbled.  
  
  
'Hey… it's not like it hurt, right? I was able to use minimum strength, and with a flabby   
stomach like yours, the punch wouldn't even be forceful enough to rearrange your intestines!'   
Sora laughed.   
  
  
'I'm not fat…' Tai whined, pouting his lips, arms folded across his chest.   
  
  
Something inside Sora stirred… a strange emotion seemed to well up inside her when she   
laid her eyes on this boy she called 'best-friend'. If only we could be something more…   
  
  
Realising where all her thinking was leading to, Sora quickly reverted her attention back to   
the stubborn locker, which was still stuck fast. Tai immediately sprang forward to offer his   
help.  
  
  
'Do not fear! Taichi is here to save the damsel in distress!' Sora rolled her eyes at this   
comment.   
  
Tai turned to the problematic locker, fiddled around with the hinges, then banged on it a few   
times with his fist… the locker rolled lazily around its pivot and opened.   
  
  
'Voila!' Tai stood proudly beside Sora and put his hands on his hips.   
  
'Wonder Tai always manages to save the day!'   
  
Sora chuckled softly. The image of Tai in a mask and superman cape was too much.   
  
  
'Hey Sor… this is strange… the hinges of your locker seem to have been jammed with a   
piece of metal or something…' Tai held out his hand… in the center of his palm lay a twisted   
paper clip. Sora instantly stopped laughing. She flung open her locker with one furious move.   
Behind the locker door, a piece of paper had been carelessly stuck onto the plastic. Sora   
ripped the paper off… it was a message.  
  
  
  
TO: The owner of this locker  
I know, Sora.  
You are one of the doomed ones…  
You can't hide it forever.  
You will be found out  
And removed.  
Our country must be cleansed!  
Only those deserving to live shall live…  
And you are not one of them  
-anonymous  
  
  
  
Sora stared in shock at the untidy scrawl on the crumpled piece of paper. She was suddenly   
caught off guard as a hand shot out from beside her, grabbed the grubby piece of paper and   
ripped it into a million little pieces.   
  
Tai opened his shaky fist, allowing the little pieces of paper to flutter down onto the floor, then   
proceeded to stomp on them continuously. Sora watched on in horror as a side to Taichi she   
had only seen when he had murdered Datamon, was exposed to the world again. She finally   
composed herself enough to begin speaking in a shaky voice…  
  
  
'Wha… what does it mean?' She looked at Tai with a questioning look etched upon her   
beautiful features… yet Tai ignored her…  
  
  
'Let's go. We're late for class.'  
  
  
The two gathered their belongings and silently made their way to history class… and Sora   
was left clueless as to the true meaning of the note… but she would find out soon, and that   
wouldn't be a very pleasant experience…  
  
  
  
  
Continued…  
  
  
  



	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon, nor do I own any of its characters. (Aargh… am I   
going to have to do this all the time?)  
This fic is dedicated to Bang, Scarlet, Strife21, Soccerchic, firestarsolo, ChnkyPntBtr   
and Jenna D. Thanks to your reviews, I have been inspired to greater heights! Just hope   
that you guys don't give up on me before I have a chance to finish this story… it's   
moving so so so slowly… if you guys want longer chapters, just ask… though that will   
mean slower publishing of the fic ^_~  
Skarred.  
  
  
  
The Sound of Silence  
By 5kaRreD  
  
Dulce et Decorum Est  
- Wilfred Owen  
  
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,  
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,   
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,   
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.  
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,  
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;  
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots   
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.  
  
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,  
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,  
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling  
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.   
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,  
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.  
  
In all my dreams before my helpless sight  
He plunges at me, guttering, chocking, drowning.  
  
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace  
Behind the wagon we flung him in,  
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,  
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;  
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood  
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,  
Bitter as the cud  
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,  
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest  
To children ardent for some desperate glory,  
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est   
Pro patria mori.  
  
  
'Wait up, Tai!' Sora kicked up her speed by a notch. The change in speed caused locks of   
auburn hair to spill around her face like a flame, caressing her cheeks, getting into her   
eyes. Sora shook her head irritably in an attempt to shake off the golden tresses and   
clear her confused mind at the same time. What the heck was wrong with Tai? Her eyes   
narrowed in frustration. He had been avoiding her throughout History class, barely   
spoke to her during Chemistry class and had ignored her in Maths… was it about the   
note that she had received earlier? Evidently he knew something she didn't… she had to   
find out what. She finally caught up with the lean, muscular figure before her.   
'Tai… what do you know?'  
Silence.  
The two had shared secrets since young; secrets told lying on the soft grass of   
the soccer field, drenched head to toe in mud… secrets told in the dark, bodies rested   
against the uncomfortable hard ground, covered only by the canopy of leaves   
overhead… secrets gently whispered into each other's ears on a soft spring day… they   
were truly innocent. But now, now there was a deep, dark shadow in Tai's heart. He   
refused to tell her what it was, and thus she was left helpless. The two walked on   
listlessly, Tai barely concentrating on where his destination lay, Sora simply trailing along.   
Sora looked up at Tai's warm, chocolate brown eyes… they were lifeless and dark. The   
shadow in his heart was reflected upon his eyes, and this scared Sora as the true   
seriousness of the situation struck her.  
'Tai, you have to tell me. I'd rather be prepared for what's coming, instead of being left   
clueless…'  
Tai finally consented to look at Sora. The steely arms of his eyes seemed to   
clamp around hers, causing her to look straight back into his eyes. And then she saw   
the fear… Tai had been a fearless leader, not hesitating to kill digimon to protect her…   
he had placed himself in the most precarious situations just to get her out of trouble.   
Yet now, he was afraid. Sora had never known this emotion to be present in Tai… he   
had always been her figure of great strength and courage. Seeing the fear in his eyes   
made her frightened too. What did he know? She dared not ask, for fear of the   
consequences. It would be better to leave this matter alone.   
  
************************  
  
Tai's aimless wandering had led the two to the soda shop two blocks from their   
apartments. There was no use for words to communicate… Tai and Sora could read   
each other's minds like a book, and now those two books read: soda shop… soda shop…   
soda shop… I'm thirsty... The two headed into the shop and took their seats at their   
favourite table- the one hidden in a corner yet located next to the window, where they   
could rest comfortably in a sunlit area, yet not be bothered by faces peering into the   
window from the outside, tongues hanging out with little rivets of drool upon their lips.   
Seeing his two regular customers stepping into the shop, the triple-chinned   
Mexican behind the counter instantly whipped up their usuals- for Tai, a lemonade with   
extra sugar, served cold with a little Hawaiian umbrella as decoration… Tai loved   
collecting those little ornaments. For Sora, a regular coke float topped with vanilla ice-  
cream.   
'For those two school kids in the corner.'  
The waitress bounced over, her short skirt flapping up and down… supposedly   
to attract the customer's looks, yet only managing to snatch up their appetites, which   
were torn up into little bits and flung into the drain. With a silly smile, she handed them   
the drinks and bounced away again. Tai was repulsed… how could someone smile   
without meaning it? Sora's smile was always pure and true, like the newborn sun as it   
dawned upon the earth. Pushing away these thoughts, Tai reached out for his drink and   
gulped it down all at once. Wiping his lips with one grubby hand, he glanced up at Sora   
who was looking at him bemusedly from behind an untouched coke float.   
'What the hell!'  
She too snatched up her glass and emptied its contents into her mouth all in one   
go. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as the acidic fizz of the drink burned into her   
tongue, torturing the raw flesh like a fire inside her… this was followed by the   
numbness the cold ice cream inflicted on the insides of her mouth. In one fluid   
moment, Sora spurted out the drink from her parted lips. The coke- ice- cream mixture   
flew in an arc across the table as a rainbow of brown… it sailed over the flower   
arrangement in the center of the table… over the empty lemonade glass…Tai spluttered   
profusely as he found himself drenched in a disgusting, sticky substance. The   
concoction of coke, ice cream and saliva dribbled down his shocked features and down   
his neck. The next thing she knew, Sora was banging her fists on the table, tears pouring   
down her cheeks as the uncontrollable laughter escaped her. The two forgot all the   
past events… the locker… the note… they were too caught up in the tiresome act of   
laughing as they raised a racket loud enough to make the other customers in the shop   
turn and stare.   
Sora's heart was flooded with happiness… it was in rare moments like these that   
the two ignored the world about them and shared a special moment together. This was   
one of their moments. She glanced up at Tai's face… it was scrunched up like a used   
tissue… his 'laughter wrinkles' deepened as he laughed almost noiselessly, completely out   
of breath. Tai's well-proportioned nose dripped with brown liquid… the mixture   
traveled down his face in little streams, weaving strange patterns on his tan cheeks and   
collecting on the point of his chin again… Sora fumbled around the table, looking for a   
napkin to wipe off the muck on Tai's face. Her unsteady hand brushed past two glass   
figures, tipping them over… they wobbled for a split second before connecting with the   
hard floor in a tinkle of breaking glass. The glasses were shattered… and next to them,   
a little red and yellow umbrella lay lifelessly on the cold marble…   
'Oops…' Sora mumbled a low apology as the frantic waitress that had attended to them   
earlier scuttled over and began cleaning up the mess.  
'Miss, you're going to have to pay for that!'  
'Uh… how much is it?' Sora stammered. She wasn't sure she would have enough money   
to pay for the broken glassware. Sora fished around in her pocket for her wallet and   
opened it gingerly. Great… only $5 left.   
'It's twice that amount, girlie.' The waitress drawled.   
'I'll pay!' A comforting voice spoke up. Taichi whipped out his wallet, extracted a ten-  
dollar note and thrust it at the waitress.   
This is about the billionth time I have to depend on him to help me out…  
'Oh dear, is the girlie too poor to pay? She's definitely one of the mentioned people… my   
dear, you won't last long.' The waitress stated this as though it was a fact.  
Sora was puzzled. What did she mean by that? Before she could react, Taichi   
grabbed hold of Sora's hand and forcefully yanked her up and out of the soda shop. His   
face burned bright red with anger and Sora could almost swear his eyes were emitting   
little tendrils of golden smoke. The two smoldering pupils cast a hateful glare back at   
the soda shop, then turned back to the road. Tai finally released his tight grip on Sora's   
wrist and instead vented his anger on a little rock on the pavement, attacking it with   
furious kicks. Sora was astounded… how could this happy, cheerful angel turn into a   
fierce monster so quickly? That was like asking for a storm on a sunny day… or for the   
calm and peaceful sea to bare its fangs and become a wildcat in the blink of an eye…   
Something was evidently wrong.  
'Tai, I need to know what's going on. Tell me… please?'  
Tai could not hold back anymore. He spoke in a low, growling voice, making the   
hairs at the back of Sora's neck prickle… she had never heard him speak in this way ever   
since he had lashed out a final, fatal blow at Datamon years ago…  
'Sora… the… the truth is painful, but I can't hide it from you any longer… I can still   
protect you from it though… don't forget that I'm always here for you…'  
Tai turned to Sora and grasped her hands tightly, yet not in the vice-like grip as   
he had earlier, but in a firm, gentle manner… he looked straight into her crimson eyes as   
his own chocolate ones softened…  
'I don't want anything to happen to you Sora… no matter what happens, we must live   
through it together…'  
Sora lowered her eyes as she nodded her consent. Even if it hurt her, she had to   
find out what it was that had been kept a secret from her al this time…  
  
************************  
  
Feet planted firmly on the wooden platform, General Sohiko turned to his   
people. This was a day never to be forgotten; its events scrawled untidily into students'   
notebooks as they tried to keep up with their history teacher's lecturing… it would be   
recorded as the day of 'justice' to some… or dooms day to others… General Sohiko   
lifted his voice to the heavens above as he addressed his people in a passionate manner.   
In this way, he resembled the German leader Adolf Hitler… vigorous gestures   
emphasizing each sentence, as though the audience was made up of musicians not   
people… he seemed to be conducting an orchestra, not giving a talk.   
  
'Japan… Japan is not a country… she is a nation. A nation of people. These people have   
stood shoulder-to-shoulder and braved through many storms that lay in their path.   
Throughout the long history of Japan, they have fought for glory, for peace, for their   
country… some of these courageous people have died in the struggle for honor; the   
kamikaze pilots sacrificed themselves to defeat the enemy… the samurais impaled   
themselves on their own swords so as to die glorious deaths… Now it is our turn to do   
something for our nation. Japan has given us so much; our food, water, shelter, care,   
love… she is like a mother for all of us. Brothers, now I call upon you to help our mother   
in her time of need… she is being plagued by a disease- an illness known as poverty. This   
fatal illness could cause the fall of our great nation… can we let everything we have   
slowly built with our bare hands for centuries crumble and die away in less than a   
decade?'   
  
'NO!' They shouted as a chorus of angry voices… the general's words seemed to ignite   
the pride and loyalty for their country in them as a flame ignited the wick of a candle. In   
this, Sohiko's speech was very effective… he smiled inwardly at the crowd's   
enthusiasm… no doubt he would be able to get all these ignorant people on his side in   
no time at all… then the purge would begin.  
  
'We must cure this disease that is slowly killing our beautiful country… we must join   
hands, as brothers, under one common goal: to remove all obstacles from Japan's path   
of development. The sun must rise without any interference, yet poverty takes on the   
form of clouds, blocking out the sun's rays from providing us with light and warmth.   
Thus, we must rid our country of poverty! Out with the beggars hidden in dark street   
corners! Out with the peasant children in the market, picking up scraps of food from   
the floor to eat! Out with the people too poor even to afford a proper roof over their   
heads! Japan must be cleansed!' The entire square shook and trembled like a lone leaf in   
the wind… the crowd's roar of approval was deafening. Hats were whipped off heads   
and tossed up into the air as the audience applauded the general.   
Another thousand or so and he would have enough supporters to carry out his   
plan… people were such blind fools… they would ignore prejudices and any other forms   
of discrimination just to have their way. They didn't even question Sohiko's reason as to   
why he hated poverty with such a passion. Nonetheless, they had fallen into his   
clutches now…  
  
  
Read on, oh brave ones…  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
